The-not-so-special Jack Ryan Special Edition box set
Feel free to correct us if we're wrong, but special edition DVD/HD DVDs should have extra content and therefore worthy of the moniker, right? Well, apparently someone at Paramount didn't agree, as the new Jack Ryan collector set doesn't include any of the bonus features listed on the box. No audio commentary, no featurettes, nothing extra at all is included in the set besides the movies. In fact, viewers are reporting that when the discs are popped in, they just start playing without displaying a menu at all. No word from Paramount just yet, but apparently, when you buy this box set, the only thing owners are going to enjoy is the movies themselves.
Filed under: HD DVD
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Big Sam @ Oct 17th 2007 12:10PM
"the only thing owners are going to enjoy is the movies themselves"
And for some people, that will be perfect. But if I'm paying a "special edition box set" price, I want everything I'm entitled to. Regardless of whether I'll use it or not.
h4ldol @ Oct 17th 2007 12:38PM
Just what HD DVD fanboys need... another swift kick in the nutz. This is what you guys can expect from the HD DVD studios... more movies with either lossless audio or extras, but not both. More Dolby Digital audio like on Transformers. Heck, you guys are so concerned about saving a few bucks you might as well just buy DVDs, the difference is not that significant! Blu-ray on the other hand, will give you the most advanced tech available. Bye-bye HD DVD.
Asterra @ Oct 17th 2007 6:51PM
"Advanced tech" like MPEG2? Friend, you go enjoy your Terminator 2 and I'll enjoy my Terminator 2 and we'll both be convinced that ours is the best, but only one of us will be correct.
Smee @ Oct 19th 2007 12:52AM
@h4iPullTwiceDaily
So, tel us when oh wise one, when is BR going to be able to deliver "the most advanced tech available?"
Which specification and which year is your dream?
HD DVD delivers today, what you HOPE Br MIGHT be able to deliver in the future.
You are the king of all bullshit bloggers, the way you continually embarrass blu ray with your pathetic rants, are you sure your not a closet HD DVD fan?
Even more shite flowing out of the Fudmeisters mouth!
hv9200 @ Oct 17th 2007 12:51PM
"The difference is not that significant"
UN-Believable
Jack @ Oct 17th 2007 12:57PM
HAHA......and they said space wasn't an issue....BS.....Paramount was going to have lossless on Blades of Glory for Blu then we all know that happened....What I kind of find funny is how the hell you wouldn't put a lossless track on the biggest movie to come out on HD DVD? With this now it is showing me HD DVD's problems....not enough bandwidth and no space for the Best of the Best when it comes to Audio and Visual.....
Yah go ahead and say those aren't issues, but when I can get lossless tracks and great extras(will get better with 1.1) on blu-ray for paying 100 dollars more on a player, I don't even have to do a double take.
billysunday @ Oct 17th 2007 12:58PM
"In fact, viewers are reporting that when the discs are popped in, they just start playing without displaying a menu at all"
Umm....about that. A lot of high-def discs start the movie sans a traditional "top menu" structure. The menu is a pop-up overlay that slides up from the bottom or in from the side and has all the familiar choices. While it's absolutely nuts for these discs to be labeled as SPECIAL EDITIONS and list bonus features that somehow didn't end up on the discs, it's not a limitation or a mistake that the discs start playing the movie instead of going to a main menu screen.
James @ Oct 17th 2007 12:59PM
What a troll.
acidrock @ Oct 17th 2007 1:19PM
what a JOKE! i don't have a hi-def player yet but this BS only makes me less excited for the day i do. scratched that, for the day i buy BD/HD-DVD's. I'll buy a dual format player and just rent because the way these companies are screwing over consumers, consumers they're trying [really?] to attract to hi-def movies, i see no reason to buy discs that'll only be re-released later as 'directors cut' or 'special edition' like the many DVDs i've purchased. i try to check in on how the format war and every once in a while i'll see a review of something falling short of expectations. you want me to invest in movies all over again AND a new player? ok, i want a] high quality video, b] lossless audio that can match my new receiver with TrueHD + HD-MA, and c] extras.
and to the fanboys of either format, show some dignity by not being so bias. both formats have their pros/cons. going around all on either format's jock makes you look like you're desperately trying to justify your player or that you work for one of the companies.
The Pepto Pimp @ Oct 17th 2007 1:27PM
"Well, apparently someone at Paramount didn't agree, as the new Jack Ryan collector set doesn't include any of the bonus features listed on the box."
I'm not afraid to bite the hand that feeds me, so I'm gonna go ahead and say this. Trust me when I tell you that the folks at Paramount who make the decisions about things like this are completely devoid of vision, creativity or inspiration. Their concern is repurposing content, as cheaply as possible, to maximize profits for their bosses. The people who produce this content think that they're "ahead of the curve" and "innovative" simply because they're releasing on HD-DVD.
MAK42868 @ Oct 17th 2007 1:40PM
Is there a small chance this was an error, like what they did to The Fifth Element, and people who buy this will get refunds or upgrades to the HD-DVD that actually has the extra content on it?
ryan @ Oct 17th 2007 1:44PM
Sure, but don't tell that to the blue fanboys.
MAK42868 @ Oct 17th 2007 2:00PM
I remember getting into arguments with kids about the Genesis vs. SNES (remember those?!)... "Genesis is better, it has better games." ... "No, SNES is better, it has better graphics." ... etc.
Granted, I was 10-11 at the time. Is that how old these Blu-Ray/HD-DVD fanboys are?
Xyzzy @ Oct 17th 2007 2:50PM
One thing people are forgetting - the boxset hasn't been officially released yet! Since the special features are listed on the box, it sounds like someone at Paramount screwed up with the authoring. There's no indication that it's a space concern at all (if it were, why would they have even mentioned the special features on the box?). I would be surprised if there isn't a recall and a new updated version released. This isn't like Fifth Element (which was a crappy transfer), it sounds like someone didn't put the entire contents of the disk out there. Ooops.
As for lossless audio - there's plenty of HD DVDs that have it, like Constantine and Top Gun. Regardless, all HD DVDs have DD+ soundtracks, and that was good enough to get 5 stars for Transformers. Would lossless have given the movie 6 stars out of 5? Yeah, didn't think so.
TJ @ Oct 17th 2007 3:03PM
As a Blu-ray owner, I gotta say, I find this a non-issue. Regardless of format, I really don't watch bonus features on most movies I buy. This isn't a format issue- its a packaging issue. Probably would have happened anyway if the release was dual-format.
The Movie is the thing you're paying for, everything else is gravy...
Tom @ Oct 17th 2007 3:55PM
I agree with gas here...it is odd given that one of their talking points for leaving Blu was the great interactivity that HDi provides...
acidrock @ Oct 17th 2007 3:06PM
who cares who gave what rating to the transformers audio, it was wrong imho. people are citing their grade like a UN resolution lol. how can you rate a DD+ soundtrack 5 stars when lossless soundtracks are on the market and will become standard as more users can utilize it on their equipment? if its 5 stars compared to other DD+ then OK, but don't piss on my leg and tell me its raining.
MAK42868 @ Oct 18th 2007 9:02AM
Don't use bad metaphors, either, please :)
gas @ Oct 17th 2007 3:14PM
I don't care about extras at all either. It's just kinda funny since hd-dvd has hitched their entire reason for existence on extras such as IME/PIP etc...
Tom @ Oct 17th 2007 3:56PM
I agree with gas here...it is odd given that one of their talking points for leaving Blu was the great interactivity that HDi provides...
MI @ Oct 17th 2007 5:28PM
Could be they were lying and just did it for the money?
Xyzzy @ Oct 17th 2007 10:18PM
No -- no company would do that on purpose (not even Sony! ;) ). Somebody dropped the ball somewhere and the quality control missed it. I'm sure the disks will be re-issued (so much for saving cost on this one... :( ).
Of course if you look at the price and consider you're getting 4 movies, the average price per movie is extremely low... Still doesn't make it right though.